2000
#8,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Geddes
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ged, meaning a pike or a ditch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,169 Americans carry the last name Geddes. That puts it at #8,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geddes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Geddes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,215
Census rank
#8,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,636 bearers of the surname Geddes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geddes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geddes
The surname GEDDES is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Gillie, which means "servant." The name first appeared in the late 12th century in the area of Perthshire, Scotland.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Geddas, found in the records of Moray in 1265. It was later spelled as Geddys, Geddes, and Geddies. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic word "gille," meaning a young man or servant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GEDDES is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1334, which mentions a John Geddas. The Domesday Book, the great survey of England compiled in 1086, does not contain any references to the surname GEDDES, as it was primarily a Scottish name.
A notable figure with the surname GEDDES was Sir William Duguid Geddes (1828-1900), a Scottish sculptor and painter. He studied at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh and later became the President of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Another prominent individual was Patrick Geddes (1854-1932), a Scottish biologist, sociologist, and pioneering town planner. He is known for his concept of "regional survey" and his contribution to the development of modern town planning.
Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes (1879-1954), a British businessman and politician, served as the President of the Board of Trade and Minister of National Service during World War I.
In the literary world, Jennie Geddes (c. 1600-1660) was a Scottish Presbyterian who gained notoriety for her role in the events that led to the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. She allegedly threw a stool at the minister during a church service, protesting the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer.
Another notable figure was Sir Eric Campbell Geddes (1875-1937), a British businessman and politician who served as the First Lord of the Admiralty during World War I. He was instrumental in improving the efficiency of the British shipbuilding industry during the war.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geddes
Among Census respondents with the surname Geddes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Geddes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Geddes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 3,018
- Black or African American7.0% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 189
- Two or more races3.2% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geddes
Geddes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,687
+101 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 420 places
2020
#8,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,636
-51 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,462 | 3,586 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,882 | 3,687 | 1.25 | +101 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 420 places |
| 2020 | #8,657 | 3,636 | 1.22 | -51 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 225 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Geddes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,882 | #8,657 | 2.5% |
| Count | 3,687 | 3,636 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.22 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geddes bearers went from 3,687 to 3,636 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,882 to #8,657.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Geddes
FAQ
Geddes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geddes?
Name Census estimates that about 4,169 living Americans carry the surname Geddes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,215 residents.
How common is Geddes?
Geddes ranks #8,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,636 people with the surname Geddes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Geddes.
Has Geddes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geddes went from 3,687 recorded bearers to 3,636. That is a decrease of 51 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,882 to #8,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Geddes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geddes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Geddes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (3,018 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geddes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Geddes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Geddes mean?
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ged, meaning a pike or a ditch. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Geddes (1.22 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Geddes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.